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Looking for examples of virtual reality and augmented reality? This guide lists 18 real uses: 10 of virtual reality (VR) and 8 of augmented reality (AR). Each one says what the technology does and who uses it. A short comparison of AR and VR follows the examples.
Quick answer: Virtual reality replaces what you see with a computer-generated world, usually through a headset. Examples include flight simulators, VR games and spacewalk training. Augmented reality keeps the real world in view and adds digital content on top of it, usually through a phone. Examples include walking directions over a camera view, furniture previews and camera filters.
Sources reviewed November 13, 2026. Named examples below come from the organizations’ own pages or from published guides, listed at the end. Products and programs change, so check the source before relying on a detail.
10 examples of virtual reality
1. Spacewalk training at NASA
NASA’s Virtual Reality Laboratory at Johnson Space Center in Houston trains astronauts for spacewalks and robotic arm operations. According to NASA, crew members rehearse spacewalk procedures in VR without leaving the lab, practice handling objects as they would behave in zero gravity, and train on the jetpack used for self-rescue.
2. Staff training in retail stores
In September 2018, Walmart announced it would send about 17,000 Oculus Go headsets to all of its US stores, with more than 45 activity-based training modules built with the training company Strivr. It is one of the largest published examples of VR used for everyday job training.
3. Exposure therapy for PTSD
Bravemind, built by the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, is a VR tool that clinicians use to assess and treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It lets a clinician gradually place a patient in virtual scenes related to their experience while controlling what they see and hear. USC says it provides the software free to qualified clinicians and researchers.
4. Flight and driving simulators
Simulators let pilots and drivers practice dangerous or rare situations, such as engine failure or bad weather, without risk. VR headsets make this kind of simulation cheaper and more portable than a full cockpit rig.
5. Surgical and medical training
Medical students and surgeons use VR to rehearse procedures and study anatomy in 3D. The US Food and Drug Administration describes VR as a 3D simulation intended to replace the user’s perception of their physical surroundings, and it oversees AR and VR products that are used as medical devices.
6. VR games
Games are the best-known use of VR. The player looks around and moves inside the game world, using controllers or hand tracking. Current standalone headsets, such as Meta Quest models, run fully immersive VR games and can also show mixed-reality scenes that blend the room with digital objects.
7. Virtual field trips and classrooms
Students can explore places they cannot visit, such as the surface of another planet, an ancient city or the inside of the human body. See our guide to virtual reality in education for more.
8. Property and architecture walkthroughs
Architects and estate agents use VR to let clients walk through a building before it is built or without travelling to it. The viewer gets a sense of room size and layout that floor plans and photos do not give.
9. Remote meetings and 3D design reviews
Teams in different places can meet in a shared virtual room to review a 3D model, such as a car part or a building, at full scale. See our guide to VR for remote collaboration.
10. Soft-skills training at work
Companies use VR to let employees practice difficult conversations, customer service and safety drills. A PwC study of VR soft-skills training found that VR learners were more confident in applying what they learned than classroom and e-learning groups, and that VR training can become more cost-effective at scale.
8 examples of augmented reality
1. Walking directions over a camera view
Google Maps Live View shows arrows over your phone’s camera view to point the way while you walk. Published guides note that it needs a well-lit outdoor area and a location with Street View coverage, because the app recognizes nearby buildings and signs to work out where you are.
2. Furniture previews in your own room
IKEA Kreativ, announced in 2023, scans a room from a series of photos and builds an editable 3D copy. IKEA says you can remove your existing furniture from the scene and place, swap and rotate IKEA products in it before buying.
3. Camera filters and lenses
Social apps track your face through the camera and add digital effects, such as glasses, masks or animated backgrounds. It is probably the AR that most people use without calling it AR.
4. Translating signs through the camera
Translation apps can replace the text on a sign or menu with a translation in the live camera view. The real scene stays visible, and only the words change.
5. Location-based games
Pokémon GO, released in 2016, places game characters on a map of the real world and can show them through the phone’s camera as if they were in front of you.
6. Virtual try-on for glasses and makeup
Retail apps show how glasses, makeup or shoes would look on you by overlaying the product on a live view of your face or feet.
7. Repair and maintenance guidance
Technicians wearing smart glasses or holding a tablet can see step-by-step instructions placed over the machine they are fixing. As smart glasses spread, they also raise privacy questions. See our guide on how to tell if smart glasses are recording.
8. 3D models in the classroom
A student points a phone or tablet at a textbook page and a 3D model, such as a heart or an engine, appears on top of it and can be turned around.
Augmented reality vs virtual reality: the main difference
AR keeps you in the real world and adds digital content. VR takes you out of the real world and places you inside a digital one.
| Feature | Augmented reality | Virtual reality |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Real world with digital overlays | Fully digital environment |
| Common devices | Phone, tablet, smart glasses, AR headset | VR headset and controllers |
| User awareness | You can still see the real world | You are immersed in a virtual world |
| Best for | Shopping, navigation, repair, education | Games, simulations, training, virtual meetings |
| Cost barrier | Usually lower, since it runs on phones | Usually higher, since it needs a headset |
| Example | Seeing a digital sofa in your real room | Walking inside a virtual house |
What is augmented reality and how does it work?
Augmented reality (AR) adds digital information, images or 3D objects to the real world. A phone, tablet, smart glasses or headset uses its camera and sensors to understand the surroundings and place digital content over what you see. You stay aware of the physical world while the digital layer adds guidance, information or interactive objects.
What is virtual reality and how does it work?
Virtual reality (VR) replaces most or all of your view of the physical world with a computer-generated environment. A VR headset tracks your head movement, and often your hands or controllers, so the scene changes as you move and you feel present inside the virtual space.
Which one fits your need?
| If you need… | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation or information over the real world | AR | Digital content is layered onto your surroundings. |
| Full immersion in a game or simulation | VR | The real environment is largely replaced. |
| Hands-on training around real equipment | AR or mixed reality | Instructions can stay anchored to real objects. |
| A virtual classroom or training simulation | VR | Students can enter a controlled digital environment. |
| Shopping try-ons or room previews | AR | The product appears in your real space. |
| Remote 3D collaboration | VR or mixed reality | Shared spatial work is easier than on a flat screen. |
Mixed reality and XR
Mixed reality (MR) sits between simple AR overlays and fully immersive VR. It understands the physical room and places interactive digital objects into it, so a virtual object can sit on a real table and stay there as you move. Extended reality (XR) is the umbrella term for AR, VR and MR together. Product marketing uses these terms loosely, so focus on what a device actually lets you see and do.
Limits of AR and VR
- Accuracy: AR objects do not always line up with the real world. Lighting, camera quality and surface detection all affect it.
- Hardware: VR needs a headset, enough physical space and sometimes a powerful computer.
- Comfort: some people get motion sickness or eye strain in VR after long sessions.
- Cost: basic AR runs on a phone, but advanced AR glasses and VR headsets can be expensive, and businesses also pay for software and content.
- Privacy: AR and VR systems can collect data about your movement, surroundings and behavior.
FAQ
What are 5 examples of virtual reality?
Five common examples are VR games, flight simulators, astronaut spacewalk training, surgical training and virtual property walkthroughs.
What is an everyday example of augmented reality?
Camera filters in social apps, walking directions shown over a phone’s camera view, and previews of furniture in your own room are all everyday AR.
Is Pokémon GO augmented reality or virtual reality?
It is augmented reality. The game adds characters to a view of the real world and does not replace your surroundings.
Do you need a headset for virtual reality?
For fully immersive VR, yes. A headset blocks out the real world and tracks your movement. Augmented reality usually needs only a phone or tablet.
Sources: NASA, Virtual Reality Lab; Walmart, How VR is transforming the way we train associates (2018); USC Institute for Creative Technologies, Bravemind; IKEA Canada, IKEA Kreativ announcement (2023); Android Central, How to use Google Maps Live View (2023); the US Food and Drug Administration’s description of AR and VR in medical devices; and PwC’s study of VR soft-skills training. This guide is based on published sources, not hands-on testing of each product.
